Tag Archives: bhuna curry

I think that smell has more power than any other of the senses to bring back memories. The spicy sweet smells of this bhuna are my own personal time capsule back to a time when I was at college and living in a London bedsit. Lilly, who lived in one of the bedsits below me, used to make bhuna weekly. I’d not smelt anything at all like it. I think it is the fenugreek seeds in the bhuna that gives it that beguiling maple syrup curried smell. Give this curry a go and let me know what you think it smells of and to create memories of your own. I think that it’s a special dish.

To start this curry off you toast the spices and then grind them to a coarse powder in either a pestle and mortar or a grinder (in my case a repurposed coffee grinder that I keep especially for this – unless you like curry spiced coffee!)

You don’t have to make this curry with beef. Chicken, lamb, butternut squash (or any robust vegetable) all work instead Traditionally it’s quite a dry curry that majors on tomatoes, ginger and garlic but I like to add extra tomatoes so it’s slightly more liquid as that way you don’t have to watch it so much in the final cooking It’s in that last cooking that the flavour develops so leave the final seasoning right to the end. I add some yoghurt or Creme fraiche at this stage too which is totally my own take – I find it balances the flavours out to my personal taste but please add or not depending on your taste. Continue reading →